Protective eyewear with metal lenses

ABSTRACT

Protective eyewear for protecting a wearer&#39;s eyes during a sporting event. The protective eyewear comprises a frame and a metal protective section. The frame includes a top support, a pair of armatures, and a grooved opening traversing the top support and each armature. The metal protective section includes a perimeter and an extension attached to the perimeter and shape to be removably engaged to the grooved opening in the frame. Additionally, the metal protective section includes a plurality of substantially aligned elongated bars horizontally segmenting the metal protective section. A plurality of cross members is vertically positioned to connect the elongated bars of the metal protective section and protect the eyes of the wearer.

This is a continuation application claiming priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/694,952, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,614,088, filed Mar.31, 2007 entitled “Protective Eyewear With Metal Lenses”, which claimspriority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/021,363, now U.S. Pat.No. 7,222,370, filed Dec. 22, 2004 entitled “Protective Eyewear WithMetal Lenses.”

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

All patents and publications described or discussed herein are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to protective eyewear,especially protective eyewear for protecting a wearer's eyes during asporting event. More particularly, the present invention relates toprotective sports eyewear using metal gridlike protection elements toprotect the eyes of a wearer from contact.

The current improvement to the protective eyewear enhances theprotection of the wearer's eyes and the versatility of the eyewearitself. Specifically, the current invention protects a wearer's eyeswhile allowing the frame and metal protective area to be easilyassembled and disassembled for replacement and maintenance as desired bythe wearer.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that protectiveeyewear for sporting events has existed for many years. However, in mostprotective eyewear the lenses and frames have not been readilydetachable and easily reassembled by the end user of the eyewear.Eyewear does exist in other areas that includes detachable lensescomprised of glass, plastic or the like. However, these types ofmaterials in the prior art eye shields do not adequately protect theeyes of a participant in a contact sport, such as LaCrosse, hockey,football, and the like. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,422,534,2,406,998, 2,368,750, 473,915, 5,689,834, and 3,530,506 all disclosesuch conventional eyewear lacking the proper protection.

This conventional eyewear does not have the structure to adequatelyprotect the eyes of a participant of a sporting event and have theflexibility and compatibility for the participant to remove and replacethe metal protective piece and/or frame as desired. This prior arteyewear is composed of materials that would not adequately protect theeyes of a participant in a sport such as lacrosse, hockey or football.For example, the conventional eyewear lacks a metal frame and metal gridlike protection desired to protect the eyes of a participant from impactwith a solid object at high speeds.

As such, what is lacking in the art is protective eyewear for protectinga wearer's eyes during a sporting event wherein the protective lensesprovide adequate protection for the wearer's eyes and maintain aconnection to the frame such that the frame and eyewear are easilydetachable and can easily be dissembled and reassembled as desired bythe wearer.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed herein is protective eyewear for protecting a wearer's eyesduring a sporting event. The protective eyewear comprises a frame and ametal protective section. The frame includes a top support, a pair ofarmatures, and a grooved opening traversing the top support and eacharmature. The metal protective section includes a perimeter and a flatextension attached to the perimeter and shape to be removably engaged tothe grooved opening in the frame. Additionally, the metal protectivesection includes a plurality of substantially aligned elongated barshorizontally segmenting the metal protective section. A plurality ofcross members is vertically positioned to connect the elongated bars ofthe metal protective section and protect the eyes of the wearer.

Preferably, the protective eyewear comprises a round metal protectivesection, in a grid-like pattern, welded to flat extension. The flatextension projects beyond the perimeter of the round metal protectivesection. The grooved opening of the frame is shaped to removably engagethe flat extension. This removably engages the frame to the metalprotective section and sets the frame on the perimeter of the metalprotective section. The use of the flat extension in combination with apadded frame and the round metal protective section provides acomfortable fit for the user of the eyewear, maintains a high level ofprotection for the user's eyes, and facilitates separation, replacement,and aesthetic changes to the inventive eyewear.

Additionally, the frame can also be designed such that the top supportand the pair of armatures form a generally convex shape and are shapedto substantially encompass the wearer's eyes.

Preferably, the flat extension includes a projection and a clasping edgethat are shaped to mate with an orifice and a securing depression withinthe grooved opening. As such, the projection, the clasping edge, theorifice, and the securing depression are shaped to removeably secure theframe to the metal protective section wherein the frame is easilyremoved from and attached to the metal protective section.

As such, it is an object of the present invention to provide protectiveeyewear protecting a wearer's eyes during a sporting event.

Another object of the present invention is to provide protective eyewearincluding a metal protective section positioned to protect a wearer'seyes.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide protectiveeyewear including a frame and a protective section that can be assembledand disassembled by a user of the eyewear.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide protectivemetal eyewear including a flat extension that securely mates with a slotin a frame supporting the metal section of the eyewear.

Other and further objects features and advantages of the presentinvention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art uponreading of the following disclosure when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of protective eyewear made in accordance withthe current invention shown worn by a wearer.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of an embodiment of the frames ofthe protective eyewear.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the frame of the protectiveeyewear.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the frame of the protective eyewear.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the frame showing the slot and the orificeand the securing impression.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the metal protective section of the protectiveeyewear.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the metal protective section of the protectiveeyewear.

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the metal protective section.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the protective eyewear shown with the metalprotective section engaging the frame.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the protective eyewear showing a metalprotective section engaging the frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring generally now to FIGS. 1-10, the protective eyewear is shownand generally designated by the numeral 10. The protective eyewear (10)is for protecting the eyes (12) of a participant (14) in a sportingevent. The participant (14), which can also be described as a wearer(14), positions the protective eyewear (10) on his or her head (16) suchthat the eyes (12) are protected. The protective eyewear (10) comprisesa frame (18), which can also be described as a casing (18), and a metalprotective section (20), which can also be described as a metalprotective framework (20).

The frame (18) includes a top support (22), a pair of armatures (24 and26) and a grooved opening (28). The grooved opening (28), which can alsobe described as an opening (28) or a slot (28), traverses the topsupport (22) and at least partially traverses each armature (24 and 26).The pair of armatures extends from a connection point (58). The topsupport (22) and the armatures (24 and 26) form a generally convex shapeand are shaped to substantially encompass the eyes (12) of the wearer(14).

The armatures (24 and 26) further include an orifice (30) and a securingdepression (32). The orifice (30), which can also be described as anaperture (30), is positioned in the grooved opening (28) and shaped toaccept and to removably secure the projection (40). The orifice (30) canbe positioned near the lobe (60) of each armature (24 and 26). The lobe(60 or 61) is positioned on the armature (24 and 26) opposite theconnection point (58). The orifice (30) preferably has a depth that isgreater than the depth of the opening (28). Each securing depression(32) is positioned in the grooved opening (28) on the opposite end ofthe armature (24 or 26) from the orifice (30). The orifice (30) andsecuring depression (32) are shaped and positioned to accept andremoveably secure the metal protection section (20) to the frame (18).

The metal protective section (20) further includes a flat extension (34)and a perimeter (36). The flat extension (34) is attached to andextending from the perimeter (36) and is shaped to removeably engage thegrooved opening (28).

The flat extension (34) further includes a width (38) and a projection(40) extending from the perimeter (36) past the width (38). Theprojection (40), which can also be described as a protuberance (40) oran angled projection (40) is shaped to removably engage the orifice (30)of the grooved opening (28). The projection (40) is also positioned tobe removeably secured to the orifice (30). This removable securementfacilitates the engagement between the metal protective section (20) andthe frame (18).

The flat extension (34) also includes a clasping edge (42) positioned onthe flat extension (34) opposite the projection (40). The clasping edge(42) is shaped and position to mate with the securing depression (32) ofthe grooved opening (28). This mating between the securing depression(32) and clasping edge (42) also facilitates the removable securement ofthe metal protective section (20) to the frame (18).

As such, the projection (40), the clasping edge (42), the orifice (30),and the securing depression (32) can be described as being shaped toremoveably secure the frame (18) to the metal protective section (20),wherein the frame (18) is removeable from the metal protective section(20). Additionally, the design of the projection (40), clasping edge(32), orifice (30), and securing depression (32) allow a wearer (14) tohave the ability to assemble and disassemble the protective eyewear(10). Specifically, the wearer (14) can remove and attach the frame (18)from the metal protective section (20). This facilitates maintenance ofthe protective eyewear (10), including cleaning and other normalmaintenance activities.

Additionally, this removably secure attachment allows a wearer (14) toreplace individual components of the protective eyewear (10). Namely,the wearer (14) can replace the frame (18) independently from the metalprotective section (20) and/or the metal protective section (20)independently of the frame. A wearer (14) also has the ability to colorcoordinate the individual aspects of the protective eyewear (10) asdesired to match the frame (18) and metal protective section (20) to theteam colors to which he or she is playing.

The metal protective section (20) includes a width (44) and a line ofsymmetry (46) wherein the width (44) is decreased at the line ofsymmetry (46). The line of symmetry (46) facilitates the overall fit andlook of the protective eyewear (10) that is worn by a wearer (14). Forexample, the reduced width (44) at the line of symmetry (46) facilitatesthe fit of the protective eyewear (10) to the head (16) of the wearer(14). Specifically, the shape of the metal protective section (20) atthe reduced width (44) conforms to the nose (13) of the wearer (14).

Additionally, the metal protective section (20) includes a plurality ofsubstantially aligned elongated bars (48). The elongated bars (48) arepositioned to horizontally segment the metal protection section (20).Preferably the elongated bars (48) extend the entire length (50) of themetal protection system (20). A plurality of cross members (52) isvertically positioned on the protective eyewear (10) to connect theelongated bars (48).

Preferably the cross members (52) connect the top two rows (54 and 55)together and the bottom rows (56 and 57). Alternatively, the crossmembers (52) could extend from one of the top rows (54 or 55) to one ofthe bottom rows (56 or 57) and thereby provide additional protection tothe eyes (12) of the wearer (14). The elongated bars (48) are spacedsuch that they do not substantially interfere with the line of sight ofthe wearer (14) while maintaining proper protection of the eyes (12)during the wearer's (14) participation in the sporting event, includinga lobe (60) positioned on the armature (24 and 26).

The metal protective framework (20) can be described as including a pairof substantially hemispherical sections (62 and 63) that are centrallyattached to each other. Each hemispherical section (62 and 63) includesthe attachment element (34), shaped to removably engage the slot (28).Preferably the attachment element (34) is substantially flat and isattached to and projects from the perimeter (36). Each hemisphericalsection (62 and 63) includes a width (44) that decreases proximate tothe connection point (58). Additionally, each hemispherical section (62and 63) includes a rounded end (64) opposite the central attachment suchthat the width (44) of the hemispherical section (62 and 63) increasesoutwardly from the central attachment (66) to a maximum width (45) andthen decrease to the rounded end (64).

The frame (18) is recurrently and securely removeable and attachable tothe metal protection section (20) without the use of tools. Thisremoveable attachment is easily accomplished. A wearer (14) can graspone of the lobes (60 or 61) and pull that lobe (60 or 61) towards thecentral attachment (66), or line of symmetry (46), until the orifice(30) has cleared the leading edge (41) of the projection (40). Then thelobe can be pulled away from the metal protective section (20) such thatthe attachment element (34) is removed from the slot (28). Then theremainder of the frame (18) can be removed from the metal protectionsection (20) by pulling the attachment element (34) from the opening(28).

The frame (18) can also easily be attached to the metal protectionsection (20). A wearer (14) can grab the frame (18) by one of the lobes(60) and insert one of the projections (40) such that the leading edge(41) slides into the orifice (30). Then the remainder of the attachmentelement (34) can be inserted into the opening (28). This can continuearound the perimeter (36) of the metal protection section (20). Once theattachment element (34) has been inserted into the opening (28) to apoint that is near the opposite lobe (61), the wearer (14) can thengently pull the lobe (61) towards the central attachment (66) until theorifice (30) clears the leading edge (41) of the projection (40).

This attachment and removal of the frame (18) can be further facilitatedby the composition and material of the frame (18). Preferably the frame(18) is a soft polyurethane that can be used to cushion the engagementof the frame (18) to the head (16) of the wearer (14). Additionally,this type of material can expand slightly to allow for the engagement ofthe projections (40) to the orifices (30) and then retract back, orconform back to its original shape, to securely engage the attachmentelement (34) with the opening (28).

Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of thepresent invention of a new and useful Protective Eyewear with MetalLenses, it is not intended that such references be construed aslimitations upon the scope of this invention except as set forth in thefollowing claims.

1. Protective eyewear for protecting a wearer's eyes during a sportingevent, the protective eyewear comprising: a frame including a topsupport, a plurality of armatures and a grooved opening traversing thetop support and partially traversing each armature; a metal protectivesection including a perimeter, an extension attached to the perimeterand shaped to removably engage the grooved opening in the frame, and aplurality of projections extending from the perimeter; and wherein eacharmature engages at least one projection to removably secure the frameto the protective section.
 2. The protective eyewear of claim 1, whereinthe metal protective section includes a width and a line of symmetrywherein the width is decreased at the line of symmetry.
 3. Theprotective eyewear of claim 2, wherein the metal protective sectionincludes a plurality of substantially aligned elongated barshorizontally segmenting the metal protective section.
 4. The protectiveeyewear of claim 3, wherein the metal protective section includes aplurality of cross members vertically positioned to connect theelongated bars.
 5. The protective eyewear of claim 1, wherein the metalprotective section includes a length; rows of elongated bars extendingthe length of the metal protective section; and a plurality of crossmembers vertically positioned to connect the rows of elongated bars. 6.The protective eyewear of claim 1, wherein the top support and the pairof armatures form a generally convex shape and are shaped tosubstantially encompass the wearer's eyes.
 7. The protective eyewear ofclaim 1, wherein the extension includes a width and the projectionextends from the perimeter past the width.
 8. The protective eyewear ofclaim 1, wherein each armature includes an orifice positioned in thegrooved opening and shaped to accept and to removably secure theprojection.
 9. The protective eyewear of claim 8, wherein; the extensionincludes a clasping edge positioned opposite the projection; and thearmatures include a securing depression positioned in the groovedopening opposite the orifice and shaped to accept and to removablysecure the clasping edge.
 10. The protective eyewear of claim 9, whereinthe projection, the clasping edge, the orifice, and the securingdepression are shaped to removably secure the frame to the metalprotective section wherein the frame is removable from the metalprotective section.